Okay, its like 10 at night and I'm supposed to be sleeping. Some thing about getting me on regular hours or something ((regular hours? What are those? ::drinking coffee at 2 in the morning, having woken up 3 hours ago::)) ::twitches sporadically::

Jenna: ...you frighten me sometimes

Me: I learned it from you so don't even start. On with the Fic!!

REALLY IMPORTANT NOTICE AT BOTTOM!!!!!

Ch. 3

Aren't Mine Feilds Fun?

Koenma was Not Happy.

His father was on vacation, again! You would think that he would have at least asked him, his son, his heir, to go with him, but nooo—

The doors to his office slammed open, startling the toddler-like demi-god, as a blue skinned, blonde haired ogre ran through, waving a tape around. "Koenma sir! Koenma sir!! Reikai intelligence has just—"

"What is it Ogre?! I am very busy! Can't you see all the paper work I have?!" Koenma shouted right back at the cowering ogre, gesturing to the papers littering his desk with empathic gestures. Of course, he hadn't REALLY been working, but he wasn't about to tell HIM that.

"S-sor-rry K-koenma sir, but this is top priority, straight from intelligence." The ogre stuttered out.

"WHAT?! Why didn't you say so?! Pop the tape in, already!" Koenma snapped, almost losing his binki.

"Yessir." The ogre said meekly. He went over to the large T.V. screen that took up nearly half the wall, and put the tape into the small VCR near the bottom. The ogre stepped back, and Koenma turned on the T.V., via his remote that he kept in his desk.

The screen turned fuzzy, then showed a wild wood, strange undergrowth everywhere, trees that were so close it was a miracle the figure on the screen was moving at all. Judging by that alone, and because no forest in Ningenkai had plants like that, it could only be in the Makai. The figure turned out to be an average height man, with milk like complexion and pale blue eyes.

He was also stepping through a portal.

To Ningenkai.

Genkai's temple to be exact.

Koenma watched, his golden brown eyes wide. There was total silence as the video went fuzzy; neither the ogre or Koenma daring to breathe.

Koenma was the one that shattered the silence.

"Oh HELL! BOOOTAAAN!!!!!

What? Just as Kurama had taken out his rose, a teal green glow had surrounded the three, gone before he could be sure of what he saw. Before he could try to figure out just what it was—

BOOM!

A flash of golden white, and Kurama was down. Hiei's eyes widened. The energy blast had come from behind so that meant—

Startled cries at the sight of their fallen comrade were cut short, with two more booms and flashes, and Kuwabara and Yusuke had fallen.

—The hunter was behind him!

Shit.

Hiei ran. A moving target was better than being a sitting one, though being a target at all was bad enough. A second after he had moved, he found that staying in one place for any length of time was not the best of ideas, because an energy blast incinerated the tree he had been in with a muted BOOM!

He's fast! Hiei used half his speed, zigzagging around the grounds, blasts marking his passage. He was trying to figure out where the darn things were coming from, when one blast hit right where he was about to step. He spotted it just in time and leapt into the air, looking around.

They were ever where! The blasts weren't being shot, because they were already there. It was like a minefield. The only reason he hadn't seen it before had been because he had been to busy trying to avoid them. He scowled. Stupid, you need to train more, if you're getting tricked this easily!

Alright, I can either move the battle to the forest, where I know the terrain better, and while there isn't much space to move around in, he probably doesn't have a minefield set up, and I'll not have the vaguest idea of where he is; or I can stay here, in this mine field, where I can barely detect the bombs in the first place, but I'll likely find the hunter somewhere around here.

Split second decision, what's it gonna be?

Yukina looked at the mirror. She held her hands out to it, extended her energy...just...a bit...there, now, you just...twist.

The mirror clouded over. After a second, it showed Kurama walking to the other boys, calm as can be.

Okay, now for the hard part. Inhale. Just like Genkai showed you. Exhale.

She reached her hands forward, fingers and power extended. Her fingers stopped at the glass. Her energy didn't. It wrapped around the boys, forming an aura around them before melting into their skin; A skin tight shield, she thought in the back of her head. They wouldn't notice it, but it would take some of the damage aimed at them, and still allow them to attack at will. It would crack under to much strain though.

She turned her attention away from them, tweaking her energy in the mirror. Like some of the boys, she was also a student of Genkai, but her learning wasn't as obvious as theirs. Where Yusuke got Genkai's fighting skills, Kuwabara her psychic abilities along with fighting, Yukina got her healing and spells. The way Genkai had it out, all her abilities would live on long after she died...again.

Genkai had died during the Dark Tournament, ended nought but a month ago, but like Yusuke, had gotten a second chance.

Yukina shook her head. Getting off track, need to see if Hiei is still around. She found him. He was in the closest clump of trees behind the three boys.

She was about to do the same to Hiei as she had done to Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara, when suddenly everyone outside was attacked. She Saw/Felt her spell shatter at the force of it. At least it absorbed most of it. They won't die. She thought numbly, the pain of it raw.

She shook it off as much as she could, and looked again. Hiei was running, but the blasts...she looked closer. They aren't being fired. It's like what Karasu did at the Tournament, only this is a minefield, she thought in horror. There's nothing I can do...

"What IS it, Koenma?" fumed a very angry Ferry Girl, who was currently narrowing cotton candy eyes at her employer. She was wearing her pink working kimono, and her hair was coming loose from its usual perkish-ly high pony tail. Already, 20 people, not five, not even ten, 20! people needing to be ferried to Reikai, and I've only been on duty for a half-hour!! What is going ON down there?!?! she thought irritably.

Koenma looked at Botan, taking in the narrowed pink eyes with the tic, pinched expression, tense posture, all of it. But he mainly eyed the oar, which was grasped very tightly by white knuckles, that were shaking with the repressed urge to swing it up side his head. He decided to make it quick.

"I need you to get to Genkai's immediately. There's a hunter loose, and he's heading towards the temple. All of the team is there, along with Yukina. Genkai herself is out doing whatever it is she does when she goes out. You need to warn them. Now. It is of utmost importance, everything else must wait!"

Botan's irritableness was immediately replaced with worry. She didn't waste time. There were very few reasons why a hunter would be heading to Genkai's, and she didn't like any of them. She hopped on her oar, and before Koenma could say anything else, was gone.

"Well...that was easier than expected." Koenma remarked out loud, the ogre nodding in mute agreement.

Yukina looked at the battle in despair. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were out, and Hiei was running though a mine field, which, from the looks of it, was just all over the place. He had tried to get to the trees, and he had made it, she'll give him that, but he had come out not ten seconds later, a large boom showing that it even extended into the forest. This was Not Good At All.

The mirror shivered, and Yukina changed the view, trying to find out what had caused it. There was a figure coming towards the temple, pink, blue, and flying.

Botan!!

AN:

Yes, a cliff hanger. Not very many people will complain about this though because not very many people I think will be reading this. tear oh well. Who cares? This is fun to write

Jenna: ::rolls eyes::

Teran: ::pokes:: Jenna

Jenna: what?

Teran: weren't you supposed to do something evil this chapter?

Jenna: ::evil glint in eyes:: why...yes, my dear Teran, I was, wasn't I?

Teran: ::sweat drop:: uh...

Jenna: ::lunges for Teran::

Me: ::Comes in front and puts a sign that says 'censored' up, blocking view::

::scuffling sounds, screaming, evil laughter, BOOM!::

Me: ::takes sign down::

Jenna: ::whistling innocently::

Teran: ::traumatized:: mommy...?

Me: and there you have it, Jenna has traumatized Teran which IS more evil than my cliff hanger. Spoil sport...

Good news!!! My laptop desn't hate me anymore!! ::attempts to hug laptop, but this is difficult considering its open, on, and connected to internet:: er, yeah, anyways

REALLY IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!!

I really don't like this chapter. It just doesn't feel right. I am seriously considering not putting it up at all, thats how horrid I think it is. In fact, I think that all the chapters I have made for this so far need some serious help, which leads up to why this is here in the first place...

This is a shout out to all interested in becoming a beta reader. I am in serious need of a second opinion to both my fics before they get posted. Just as soon as I get the next chapter for KotS, there'll be a notice in that one too. Reveiw to offer services, or email me ((its posted on my look up)), though if you do, give the subject something I'll recognize, kay?

Okay, taking up too much space

Ja ne!

Cathy